Device for tightening supporting-cords of sash-curtains.



F. HOFACKER. DEVICE ron Tmmsmue SUPPORTING corms or SASH CURTAINS;

APPLICATION FILED DEC-28 1914..

Patentd May 23,1916.

I A; 4 1 H m rrn sa'rss PATENT OFFICE.

'FRED I-IOFACKER, OF PORTLAND, MAINE DEVICE FOR TIGHTENING SUPPORTING-COWS OF SASH-CURTAIN'S.

iasas'zs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 28, 1914. Serial No. 879,359.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRED HOFACKER, a

My invention is a device for supporting and stretching the cords commonly used for suspending sash curtains, and has for its object to provide an extremely simple article which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured and which will well perform the functions for which it is. designed.

With this end in View, the invention resides in certain novel features of construc tion and combination herein described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing wherein;

Figure 1 is an innerside view of a portion of a window frame showing the application of the invention to use; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section as seen on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isan enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 thereof; and, Fig. 4; is a perspective view of the reel to be described. t

In this drawing constituting a part of this application, a portion of a window frame is shown, this frame including the usual interior finishing strips S.- Secured to one of these strips, at a suitable point, is a substantially circular anchoring plate 1, said plate being provided with a pair .of notches in one of its edges whereby a finger 2 is formed. The plate 1 is further provided with a central outwardly projecting stud 3 on its front face and with a plurality of feet 4: formed integrally with its rear face and held in contact'with the adjacent strip S by fastening screws 5 which are passed through openings in the plate. Secured to the other-strip S at a point directly opposite the plate 1, is a rectangular plate 10 whose rear face is providedwith feet 11 on its four corners, the plate being attached to the strip by a pair of screws 12 as'clearly shown. Located between the plate 10 and the strip to which it issecured, is a nut 13 through which and through the central portion of the plate, a screw 14; isthreaded, this screw being loosely passed through an axial bore in a .tubular body 15 and having its head countersunk in a recess in the outer end ofsald body. By this construction, the

screw 14 constitutes a shaft upon which the body 15 will rotate.

Formed integrally with the inner end of the body 15 is a disk 16 whose peripheral edge is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth 17, these teeth coacting with a pawl 18 which is pivoted to one of the upper corners of theplate 10. The outer end of this body 15 is also provided with a disk which is formed integrally therewith, this disk being designated in the drawings by the numeral 19 and having a pair of laterally extending cars 20 formed integrally with and projecting laterally from its outer edge portion. By thus constructing the members 15, 16 and 19, a reel is provided upon which a cord 25 is adapted to be wound, one end of said cord having a loop which may be either hooked over the stud 3 or the finger 2. When the reel is now wound by grasping the ears 20 and turning them in the proper direction, the cord 25 will be stretched, thereby providing an effective support for a curtain 30 as indicated in Fig. 1.

I have described one manner of attaching the cord to the side of the frame opposite, the reel, but it will be readily understood be employed for ject of the invention, particular emphasis being laid upon the fact that the disk 16 not only acts as a ratchet wheel for preventing retrograde rotation of the reel, but that it constitutes one end of the reel. fore, on devices of this general character, it has been common to provide a reel with two Patented May 23, 1916.

-Heretodisk-shaped ends and to provide one of said ends with an independent ratchet secured or formed integrally therewith, near its center. By the construction described and shown in the drawing, however, this independent ratchet is unnecessary, thereby reducing the device to practically its most simple form.

I claim:

A cord tightener of the class described comprising a flat rectangular attaching plate to be secured to a support, said plate having a pair of apertures formed therein adjacent the opposite short edges thereof and adapted to receive fastening elements, said plate also having an additional aperture formed therein through its central portion, a reel having an opening therethrough alined with said last mentioned aperture, the outer end of said opening being countersunk, ashaft in the form of a bolt passing through said opening and through the central aperture in said plate, the head of said bolt being wholly within said countersunk portion, a nut on the threaded end of said bolt on the inner side of said plate, a disk formed integrally with the inner end of said reel and having ratchet teeth on its peripheral edge, a second disk formed integrally with the other end of the reel and lying parallel to the first named disk, a pair of operating ears formed integrally with the sec- 0nd disk at diametrically opposite points and extending outwardly from and beyond ,theperiphery of said disk, a pawl pivoted In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 33 my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. o

FRED HOFACKER. Witnesses:

HARRY W. I-IoFAoKER, CLARENCE F. HOFACKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of latents,

' Washington, D. 0.

and 

